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Posted on November 6, 2021September 4, 2026 by Valerie — 4 Comments

Common Landforms: how they form, definitions, and examples

Many forces work together to shape the landscape. Plate tectonics, volcanic activity, erosion, and deposition work slowly over time to form and change Earth’s surface. All these forces working together create some pretty unique and cool landforms! In this post, we’ll take a closer look at 12 common landforms – what they look like and how they form!

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What are landforms?

Landforms are the naturally formed, solid features of the Earth’s surface. They shape the Earth’s topography, or form. Landforms shape the way the Earth’s surface looks and how humans, plants, and animals live in different areas. Next time you head out on a road trip or visit a park, see which of these 12 common landforms you can spot!

For Teachers: If you’re an educator planning to teach landforms, great activities and visuals are key to deepening understanding! I think you and your students will love my complete Landforms Unit, which you can also find in my Landforms and Waterbodies Bundle –plus you’ll support my blog with your purchase! ❤️

Canyon

Definition: A deep, narrow passage bounded by cliffs on both sides. Canyons are like valleys but with much steeper walls.

Formation: Canyons form due to erosion by running water. The running water may be seasonal and only flow for a few months of the year, or flow year-round.

Examples of Canyons

Hancock Gorge, Karijini, Australia
Leprechaun Canyon, Utah, USA
Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Photo by Sebastian Palomino on Pexels.com

Cave

Definition: A naturally formed, underground chamber, below the earth’s surface or on the side of a hill or cliff.

Formation: Many caves are formed by erosion. Caves can form when slowly seeping groundwater dissolves buried rock, leaving behind hollowed-out caverns. For example, the rock limestone dissolves when in contact with mildly acidic groundwater. Erosion can also form caves when waves carve sea caves into cliffsides.

Examples of Caves

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China
Gruta do Lago Azul Natural Monument, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Apostle Islands National Lake Shore Mainland Sea Caves, Bayfield, Wisconsin, USA

Cliff

Definition: A steep rock face where the land’s surface abruptly drops off.

Formation: Cliffs form due to erosion from forces such as running water, ocean waves, groundwater seepage, or ice.

Examples of Cliffs

Pulpit Rock, Preikestolen, Norway
El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Ampetheatre, Giants Castle Game Reserve, South Africa

Hill

Definition: A rounded, naturally elevated area of land.

Formation: Hills form in many ways. Some hills form as formerly larger mountains erode. Others form when sediments are deposited and then colonized with plants, such as the hills left behind in areas once covered by glaciers. Some hills form due to plate tectonic activity.

Examples of Hills

Cypress Hills, Alberta, Canada
The Chevoit, Wooler, UK
Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Wisconsin, USA

Island

Definition: A body of land surrounded by water. Islands are smaller than continents and can be found in many types of water bodies such as oceans, lakes, and rivers.

Formation: Islands may be formed by volcanic activity or by the deposition of sediments like sand. Plate tectonics also plays a role – where ocean plates converge, uplift and volcanic activity occur – increasing the elevation of the ocean floor until it breaches the water’s surface, forming islands.

Examples of Islands

A Small Island near Pulau Guraici, North Maluku, Indonesia
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, USA: the largest island in Lake Superior. Isle Royale is so large it has smaller lakes on it, which have smaller islands within them!
Bird Island, near South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands off the coast of Antarctica

Isthmus

Definition: A narrow strip of land with water on two sides, connecting two bodies of land.

Formation: Isthmuses form when the water level exposes an elevated ridge of land above the water’s surface. Some isthmuses, such as the Isthmus of Panama, form where tectonic plates converge. Others, like the Madison Isthmus, result from the lakes and glacial drumlins (ridges of loose rock and coarse sediment deposited by glaciers) left behind in a post-glacial landscape.

Examples of Isthmuses

Madison Isthmus, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Isthmus of Panama, Panama
Isthmus of Nahant, Massachusetts, USA

Mesa

Definition: A naturally elevated, flat-topped area of land with steep sides. It is larger than a butte but smaller than a plateau.

Formation: Mesas form as running water erodes the rocks and sediments surrounding an area, leaving it elevated above the surrounding landscape. A “capstone” made of harder rock than the surrounding area may prevent the mesa itself from eroding as quickly.

Examples of Mesas

Monument Valley, Utah, USA
Knocknarea, County Sligo, Ireland
Toroweap Overlook, Arizona, USA

Alpine tundra along the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail near the continental divide in southwest Colorado

Mountain

Definition: A steep, naturally elevated area of land. It typically has high relief and may have exposed bedrock.

Formation: Mountain ranges form when two tectonic plates collide together. This may occur on coasts or in the middle of continents. Mountains experience lots of precipitation, which causes them to slowly erode.

Examples of Mountains

Vestal and Arrow Peaks, Colorado, USA
White Mountains, New Hampshire, USA
Valley of the Ten Peaks, Alberta, Canada
Aconcagua, Mendoza, Argentina
Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal

Peninsula

Definition: A body of land that sticks out into a body of water. It is mostly surrounded by water and connected to a larger landmass on one side.

Formation: Peninsulas form when the water level exposes an elevated ridge of land above the water’s surface.

Examples of Peninsulas

Baja California, Mexico
Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
Cape Peninsula, Cape Town, South Africa

Sand Dune

Definition: A hill of loose sand commonly found along coasts and in deserts.

Formation: Sand dunes form when lots of loose sediments are deposited in an area and rearranged into asymmetrical mounds by the wind.

Examples of Sand Dunes

Valley

Definition: A low area of land between two hills or mountains. Valleys often have streams flowing through them.

Formation: Valleys are formed by erosion. Running water or glaciers can carve out valleys over long time periods. Flowing water tends to cut “V” shaped valleys, while glaciers carve out “U” shaped valleys.

Examples of Valleys

Conundrum Wilderness, Colorado, USA
Lötschental Valley, Kippel, Switzerland
Valley of Flowers National Park, Uttarakhand, India
Overmountain Shelter, North Carolina, USA

Volcano

Definition: A mountain or hill with a crater through which lava is projected.

Formation: Volcanoes typically form due to plate tectonic activity, which can allow the molten rock to breach the Earth’s surface. The buildup of solidified lava forms a cone with a crater in it.

Examples of Volcanoes

Mount Rainier, Washington, USA
Mouna Loa, Hawaii, USA
Volcán Osorno, Los Lago, Chile

Other landforms

Alluvial fan – a cone-shaped pile of sediments deposited by flowing water in an area where the landscape changes from steep to flat.
Arches and natural bridges – rock formations containing a large hole, typically formed by erosion.
Beach – gradually sloping land along the edge of a body of water; usually covered with sediments like sand, pebbles, or cobbles.
Butte – a small flat-topped mountain; not as large as a mesa.
Moraine – landform feature created by the loose rocks and sediments plowed into piles by a glacier.
Plateau – a large, elevated flat area; larger than a mesa. Some plateaus, like the Colorado Plateau, are so large they span hundreds of miles.

What about water bodies?

Continue reading about water bodies in this separate post on common water features!

Read About Water Bodies

Teach Landforms with Wild Earth Lab:

Are you planning to teach landforms and water features? You may enjoy the learning materials I’ve created on these topics! All my learning materials feature my artwork! Find them in my shop or click on the links below:

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Trigonometry in Action: Tree Height Measurement Step-by-Step Guide

I don’t know about you, but I think math is more interesting when we can apply it to real-world situations! If you’re teaching trigonometry, right triangles, or angles in your classroom or homeschool, you and your students will love this tree-height applied math activity! In this simple learning activity, students will learn how to make a homemade inclinometer – a device for measuring the angle of inclination. Then, they will take measurements and calculate the height of a tree.

A note for educators: This tree height activity comes from my Math in the Forest Unit. If you’re an educator planning to try this activity, I recommend checking out the unit. It includes the necessary printable directions, diagrams, and worksheets for this activity—perfect for teachers and homeschoolers looking to bring applied math fun to the classroom! 💚

$math in the forest unit - printable classroom handouts, worksheets, activity directions, and lesson plan$

Math in the Forest: an applied STEM unit with outdoor activities!

$8.00

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The challenges of measuring tree height

Unless you are measuring a short seedling, you probably won’t be able to measure tree height directly because you can’t reach the top. So how do you measure something so tall? Answer: Use an inclinometer and trigonometry!

View looking up at the rough bark of a tall deciduous tree — How do you measure the height of something taller than you? Answer: use trigonometry!

An inclinometer is a device for measuring an angle of inclination above the horizontal. We can use an inclinometer to help us find the height of tall objects, such as trees! When you’re looking up at the top of a tree, you can use the angle of inclination and your distance from the tree to calculate the tree height. This is possible thanks to trigonometry – a branch of mathematics dealing with angles and the sides of triangles.

So how do we do this? In this blog post, I’ll walk you through all the steps to calculate tree height with your students. The first step is to make your own inclinometer out of common household objects…

Part 1: Make an inclinometer

Follow these steps to make your own inclinometer from common household items. You’ll use the inclinometer to find an angle of inclination, which you’ll use to calculate tree height.

Materials

Protractor (no protractor? Download + print one here!)
Tape
Straw
Thread or dental floss
A small weight (e.g., a button or a washer)
Scissors
Printable directions (available in my Math in the Forest Unit)

Step-by-Step Directions

Tape the straw across the center of the protractor at 90̊.
Use the scissors to shorten the straw (as needed).
Cut a short piece of thread or dental floss.
Tie the small weight to the end of the floss.
Tie the other end of the floss to the straw.
Check that the thread hangs over the 0̊ mark when holding the inclinometer with the straw parallel to the ground. Adjust the position of the thread on the straw as needed.

1. Tape the straw across the center of the protractor at 90̊.

2. Use the scissors to shorten the straw (as needed).

3. Cut a short piece of thread or dental floss.

4. Tie the small weight to the end of the floss.

5. Tie the other end of the floss to the straw.

6. Check that the thread hangs over the 0̊ mark when holding the inclinometer with the straw parallel to the ground. Adjust the position of the thread on the straw as needed.

Part 2: Using your homemade inclinometer

Use your homemade inclinometer to measure the angle of inclination when looking up at the top of the tree. The homemade inclinometer requires two people to operate – one person to look through the inclinometer and one person to read the angle off of the side.

Materials

Homemade inclinometer
Tape measure
A friend

Directions

Stand a short distance away from the tree, far enough away that you can see the top of the tree. This works best if you are on flat ground – not uphill or downhill from the tree. Measure your distance from the tree.
Look through the straw with the curved edge of the protractor facing your eyeball. Do not touch the straw to your eyeball.
As you look through the straw, tip the inclinometer upwards until you can see the top of the tree through the straw.
Hold still and have a friend look at the side of the inclinometer. Have them read the angle where the thread crosses.
Measure the height to your eye level.

Look through the straw with the curved edge of the protractor facing your eyeball. Do not touch the straw to your eyeball.

As you look through the straw, tip the inclinometer upwards until you can see the top of the tree through the straw. Have a friend read the angle on the side of the inclinometer where the thread crosses.

Part 3: Calculate tree height

You can use trigonometry to calculate the tree height from the measurements you took with the tape measure and inclinometer. The imaginary horizontal line at eye level, the imaginary line from your eyes to the top of the tree, and the tree itself create a right triangle (see figure below).

There is a relationship between the angles in a right triangle and the lengths of its sides. If you know two angles and the length of one side, you can calculate the length of the other sides of the triangle. Look at the diagram and then check out the example calculation below.

Example Calculation

Question: I want to know the height of a tree in my backyard. When I was standing 15 feet away from the tree and looking up at its top, I used my inclinometer to find an angle of 20̊. The height to my eye level is 5.2 feet.

distance x TAN(angle) = tree height above eye level

15 feet * TAN (20̊) = 5.5 feet

tree height above eye level + eye level = tree height

5.5 feet + 5.2 feet = 10.7 feet

Answer: The tree is about 10.7 feet tall!

Printable Directions & Worksheets

Trying this activity in your classroom? You can find worksheets and printable directions for measuring tree height in my Math in the Forest Unit:

Find your next unit…

Alphabet of North American Animals

There’s a whole alphabet of animals out there in nature for you to discover!

For a recent project, I illustrated North American Animals from A to Z (you can find those illustrations here)! During this project, I reviewed many incredible critters that I studied while earning my degree in Wildlife Biology! I wanted to share more about these cool creatures with you! You may already know and love some of these animals, many of which have wide ranges in North America (and beyond) – like ants, crows, and frogs! Others are small, rare, or hard to spot – and might even be creatures you’ve never seen before! Which ones can you spot in your local habitats?

In this post, you’ll find a little more information about the featured alphabet animals (which you can also learn more about from my Alphabet in Nature Unit)! You’ll also find links to outside websites with more information about each animal! There’s also a free PDF worksheet for younger children or students to do a research project on their favorite animal from this unit!

I created this Alphabet Animals post to go along with one of my latest educational resource packs, the Alphabet in Nature Unit! It comes with flashcards, a poster, and indoor and outdoor activities for practicing the alphabet with an nature-themed twist! You can also find it in my Nature Preschool Bundle! If you haven’t already, be sure to check it out 🙂

How to use this page:

Use the links on this page to learn about the alphabet animals of North America.
Download and print these free animal research project worksheets for your students.
Students can pick their favorite animal from the Alphabet in Nature Unit to learn more about!
Help your student research their favorite animal using the online resources linked below or other resources, such as books from your local library.
Students may use the worksheets to draw and write about what they learned!

Download these free animal research project worksheets and learn about the wonderful world of wildlife!

Ant

Ants are common insects! They can be spotted on every continent except Antarctica. They live in colonies where there are workers and a queen! There are many species of ants. These are some of the different types of ants:

Leafcutter Ants
Fire Ants
Carpenter Ants

Check out these websites to learn more about ants!

Bat

Photo by Surendra Singh Shekhawat on Pexels.com

Bats are unusual because they’re a mammal but they can fly! Depending on the species of bat, they will eat a variety of foods, such as insects, flower nectar, and fruit! Some common North American bats include:

Little brown bats
Mexican Free-tailed bats
Fruit bats
Long-nosed bats

Check out these websites to learn more about bats!

Crow

Crows are incredibly intelligent birds found world wide. They’ve been observed using tools, and can recognize human faces! Check out these web resources about crows:

Looking for nature study or alphabet curriculum for your homeschool or preschool? Check out my resources (if you haven’t already!).

Duck

Ducks are waterfowl. There are many types of ducks in North America including dabbling ducks and diving ducks. Some common North American ducks are:

Mallard
Wood ducks
Ring-neck ducks
Teals
Wigeons
Mexican Duck

Check out these websites to learn more about ducks!

Earthworm

Earthworms are annelids, the phylum of segmented and ring worms. Earthworms are beloved for their importance to agriculture. They are decomposers that move nutrients through soil by consuming and digesting waste and decaying matter. They also create large pores as they move through soil, which provide paths for water, gases, and plant roots to move through soil. You can see earthworms come to the surface of the soil to breathe during rainstorms in many habitats. Learn more about earthworms using these websites:

Fox

Foxes are omnivorous mammals. Grey foxes and kit foxes are found in the southern parts of North America. Red foxes are common in northern parts of North America. Arctic foxes are found near the arctic circle, in Canada and Alaska. Visit these web resources to learn more about foxes!

Goose

There are many species of geese world wide. Canada geese are commonly found in North America from northern Canada around the arctic circle to the the northern parts of Mexico. Many are migratory, spending their winters in warmer southern climates and their summers in far-north breeding grounds. Learn about Canada geese on these websites!

Hawk

Hawks are raptors, or “birds of prey”. They are carnivores and top predators found across a wide range of habitats. Here are some of the different types of hawks found in North America:

Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Ferguson Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk

Check out these websites to learn more about hawks!

Inchworm

Caterpillars devour a green leaf — Inchworms devour leaves in West Virginia, photo by Valerie from Wild Earth Lab.

Inchworms or cankerworms are the larval stage of the geometer moth. They are known and named for the way they move, inching forward with the front of their body then their rear. Inchworms undergo complete metamorphosis, in which they have a pupa stage before becoming adult moths. Learn more about inchworms and geometer moths here:

Jellyfish

There are many species of jellyfish found in multiple oceans and seas. There is also one unique species of freshwater jellyfish in North America. Jellyfish are not really fish at all! They are invertebrates in the phylum Cnidaria. There are different types of jellyfish found off the coast of North America:

Moon Jelly
Lion’s Mane Jelly
Bay Nettle
Portuguese Man-of-War

Check out these websites to learn more about jellyfish!

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are small birds that can be spotted near estuaries, wetlands, lakes, and other bodies of water. There are a few species of kingfishers found in North America, including:

Belted Kingfisher
Great Kiskadee
Green Kingfisher
Ringed Kingfisher

Check out these websites to learn more about bats!

Lady Beetle

Lady beetles, also known as ladybugs, are not really bugs! Bugs are a specific type of insects that belong to the order Hemiptera, like box elder bugs and leaf hoppers. Lady beetles belong to the beetle order of insects, Coleoptera. Amusingly, while ladybugs are not bugs themselves, they do eat bugs – one of their favorite foods is aphids, a member of the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Learn more about lady beetles using the links below:

Minnow

Minnow is a general term for many different species of small freshwater fish including chubs, shiners, and daces. Minnows provide an important food source for larger fish species higher up on the food chain and for waterfowl. Check out these websites to learn more about minnows!

Newt

Newts are amphibians and a type of salamander. It’s never a good idea to pick up a newt because they have very delicate and absorbent skin – chemicals and oils on our hands can be very harmful to them! They come in many different colors – from green, to brown, to bright orange. Learn about newts on these websites:

Otter

Otters are mammals that love the water! River otters live in freshwater, and sea otters live along coasts. Learn more about otters on these websites:

Preying Mantis

Preying mantises are insects that are voracious predators of other insects! Gardeners love them because they help keep away pesky crop-eating insects such as grasshoppers. Learn more about preying mantises on these websites:

Quail

Quail are small game birds found in a variety of habitats. There are several different types of quail, such as:

California quail
Scaled quail
Montezuma quail
Bobwhite quail

Learn more about quail:

Rabbit

Rabbits are common herbivorous mammals in the lagomorph order, which also includes hares and pika. They are sometimes mistaken as rodents. Humans have domesticated rabbits and they are beloved pets. Learn more about wild rabbits with these internet resources:

Snail

Snails are common shelled gastropods found world wide! They live on land and in water. Check out these websites about snails:

Turtle

Turtles are common shelled reptiles found world wide! They are found in many types of habitats, including ponds, salt water, islands, and even the desert! There are many species of turtles. Some common North American turtles include:

box turtles
sea turtles
snapping turtles

Check out these websites to learn more about turtles!

Urchin

Sea urchins are found in salt water. If you live near a coast, you may spot them in tide pools! Although they might not seem like it, sea urchins are in fact animals, belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. Learn about sea urchins here:

Vole

Voles are rodents, like mice and rats. They are prey for a variety of predators, such as hawks, owls, and foxes. Check out these websites to learn more about voles!

Water Strider

Water striders are amazing insects that harness the power of surface tension to walk across water. They are common insects that can be seen at many lakes, ponds, wetlands, and even in the slow-flowing pools and eddies of streams and rivers. Learn more about water striders:

Xeme

Xemes, also called Sabrine’s gulls, are a migratory gulls. In the summer, they are found in their summer breeding range near the arctic circle in northern Canada and Alaska. They may be seen passing through off the west coasts of Canada and the United States as they make the long journey to their winter range in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. Check out these websites to learn more about xemes!

Yellow Jacket

Yellow jackets are a common type of wasp. They are omnivores and feed on a variety of foods including other insects and flower nectar. They can be pollinators – animals which move pollen between flowers, transferring plants’ genetic material which allows for the production of seeds and new plants. Learn more about yellow jackets:

Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly

Zebra swallowtail butterflies are a butterfly species found in the southeastern part of the United States. They undergo complete metamorphosis like all butterflies and moths. Learn about zebra swallowtail butterflies here:

Need preschool nature study curriculum? Check out my Nature Preschool Bundle!

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Posted on April 3, 2021January 16, 2023 by Valerie — 4 Comments

The Heart of an Ecosystem: Healthy ponds, streams, and wetlands

a banner with a photo of a glen with a stream

In a rush? Click here to go straight to the printable journaling page for kids!

This week, my students and I took a field trip to a local creek. Getting outside to make observations in nature is one of my favorite hands-on ways to learn about science and the natural world! Ponds, creeks, and wetlands are some of the best places to do this. These aquatic areas are teaming with life and activity – there is so much to watch, listen to, and wonder about. Like most living creatures, we humans are naturally drawn to water sources. Being outside with my students at the creek this week got me thinking more about ponds, streams, and wetlands, and their important role in all kinds of ecosystems...

A stream in Northern Wisconsin is home to a variety of plant and animal species

Perhaps you have noticed that some of the best places in your area to see birds, plants, and other wildlife are near water! Where you find water you usually find an abundance of life! All plants need water to perform photosynthesis, the process plants use to make their own food. A healthy ecosystem will have a healthy food web! An ecosystem with many different plants will attract herbivores or animals that eat plants. You might have seen some herbivores around ponds or streams in your area, such as plant-eating species of fish, birds, and insects. A thriving herbivore population will, in turn, attract predators, or animals that hunt and eat other animals. You may notice predators such as larger fish species like pike and walleye, as well as otters, herons, kingfishers, spiders, and dragonflies. Decomposers, like mushrooms and earthworms, also thrive in moist environments. It is no surprise that water features like streams, ponds, and wetlands are the lively, bustling centers of many ecosystems!

A loon swims in a inlet in Lake Superior just off the shore of Isle Royale. — Loons are predators of fish

Little brown mushroom grows out of a stump in Colorado near Cameron Pass. — Loons are predators of fish

I became very familiar with aquatic ecosystem health while collecting field samples for an aquatic ecology laboratory several years ago. While going out and collecting samples from streams, ponds, and rivers all over Colorado, I quickly learned that not all aquatic ecosystems are equal. I saw and studied all kinds of aquatic ecosystems – from streams that were little more than stagnant ditches on the sides of roads, to roaring mountain rivers overflowing with spring snowmelt. I visited remote beaver meadows miles from the nearest dirt road, and also popular lakes in national parks that host thousands of hikers, fishers, and sight-seers every year. I studied mountain springs that bubbled out of the ground looking as clean and clear as tap water and also streams where the water flowed bright orange, polluted with runoff from mining sites. It didn’t take long for me to start noticing some other big differences between these contrasting aquatic ecosystems…

As I visited these places, I would listen, touch, smell, and look – and notice the differences. I heard the sounds of many songbirds or the sounds of nearby highways. I felt the squishy, moss-covered river banks between my toes as I waded bare-foot in remote streams, or I felt the hardened plant-less dirt under my wader boots on riverbanks where too many boots from too many visitors had over-compacted the soil. I smelled the earthy scents of decaying leaves and wildflowers, or the stench of manure from a nearby herd of cattle grazing on the sweet riparian vegetation. I counted the number of native plants or the number of invasive species.

Murky green pond with lots of riparian grasses and algae in a pine forest with mountains in the background. — A pond near Buena Vista, Colorado

Female scientist wearing a hard hat, goggles, and utility vest writes in a field notebook in the forest, doing ecology research. — A pond near Buena Vista, Colorado

Ponds, streams, and wetlands are the heart of many ecosystems. If these water features are unhealthy, the whole ecosystem will decline. Take away a clean and plentiful source of water, and the vegetation will suffer, sending ripple effects through the local populations of herbivores, predators, and decomposers.

Looking for **ecology lesson plans**? Check out my Pond Ecosystem Pack on Etsy!

Consequently, these vital water features are also a great indicator of ecosystem health. If something is not right in an ecosystem, you can often observe signs of poor health in the streams, ponds, and wetlands. An unhealthy ecosystem cannot support a diverse community of plants, herbivores, predators, and decomposers. Scientists monitor ponds, streams, and wetlands due to their importance to animals and plants (and humans) in a variety of environments, and also because the symptoms of ecosystem imbalance are often quite visible there.

A variety of animal and plant species that are found around healthy ponds and wetlands

Continue to part 2 to learn how to recognize the signs of healthy aquatic ecosystems wherever you go!

If you are looking for ways to teach kids or young students about aquatic ecosystem health, you can download and print the free nature journal page for kids, about pond ecosystems or purchase the Pond Ecology Bundle on Etsy!

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend and subscribe to Wild Earth Lab’s blog to get new posts about science, sustainability, and nature sent to your inbox!

Wild Earth Lab is new to blogging as of March 2021 and is dedicated to telling engaging stories about the natural world and creating unique learning resources to spark curiosity about nature. You can also visit Wild Earth Lab on social media to preview new learning resources in the making, using the links below:

pond ecology teaching materials — Need Pond Ecology learning materials? Find all the activities, diagrams, and worksheets you need in my Pond Ecology Unit!

Download this free printable nature journal page for kids

Get more printable resources like this on the free learning resources page! and visit my Etsy Shop!

References and Further Reading

Environmental Protection Agency. (2020). Impacts of Mismanaged Trash. Available: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/impacts-mismanaged-trash
Environmental Protection Agency. (2016). Indicators: Benthic Macroinvertebrates. Available: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/impacts-mismanaged-trash
Frey, D. (2018). Study shows Yellowstone wolves’ impact on streams. The Wildlife Society. Available: https://wildlife.org/study-shows-yellowstone-wolves-impact-on-streams/
National Park Service. (2017). Elk and moose exclusion fence. Available: https://www.nps.gov/articles/elk-and-moose-exclusion-fence.htm

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Posted on March 30, 2021August 25, 2026 by Valerie — 16 Comments

The Water Cycle: How it works, a simple and detailed explanation with definitions, diagrams, and a visualization activity!

a banner with a hand drawn water cycle diagram and a classroom handout on a table with measuring cups

Author’s note: As a master’s student who works with water, this is an exciting topic for me to write about! Water is a vital resource that needs careful management in the Mountain West region of the United States. Mountain region watersheds are expected to face climate change-related challenges due to decreasing winter snowpack, changing stream flows, and growing downstream human settlements. Understanding our watersheds and the challenges they are facing is very important, not just for scientists but for everyone. It is never too early or too late to start learning about environmental processes like the water cycle that make life possible for all beings. This is truly a force of nature that impacts all of us, regardless of where we live or our occupations. We all use water, and we all can find ways to use water more sustainably, work to ensure everyone can access reliable and clean water resources, and protect aquatic ecosystems (which provide some cool ecosystem services… this will be a topic for another post soon!)! The water cycle is so huge and important, I’ve decided to make a whole series of posts about it. My goal in writing this first part is to overview the water cycle in a straightforward but detailed way – not just for science students but for anyone and everyone who is curious about our Earth’s water cycle. In the second part, I plan to introduce some of the ways humans impact the water cycle, and steps we can take to better use and manage our water resources and ecosystems. I hope this two-part post provides you with some useful background information about how the water cycle works and how we interact with the water cycle. I’ve also included some free digital learning resources related to the water cycle, linked at the bottom of this article!

In a rush? Click here to skip to the free learning resources!

Try this water cycle learn-at-home science activity for kids

What is the water cycle?

Ever wondered what keeps our streams flowing? Or why rivers don’t run out of water? Or where does the water bubbling out of the ground at natural springs come from? The answer to all these questions actually begins with our sun! The sun is like an engine, providing the necessary energy to drive the water cycle. The water cycle is an ongoing process of moving water from the oceans to the land and back.

The Water Cycle diagram – Download and print this diagram!

The water cycle begins over our oceans, where the energy from our sun causes huge amounts of water to evaporate every day. When water evaporates, it doesn’t disappear – it becomes water vapor: water in gas form rather than liquid form. Ocean water can evaporate, but salts in the ocean cannot. Because salt cannot evaporate, evaporation separates freshwater out of the ocean. Freshwater is non-ocean water that is usable by land plants and animals, including humans! Evaporation is an important Earth process that makes human life possible because it separates the freshwater from the saltwater.

Sunset over an ocean beach — The sun fuels the water cycle by providing the energy for water to evaporate

As the evaporated water vapor rises up in the atmosphere, it cools and condenses, or starts forming tiny liquid droplets. As larger droplets form, they fall from the clouds as precipitation, such as rain or snow. Most precipitation will fall directly back into the ocean. However, sometimes clouds that form over the ocean will move over a continent and precipitation falls on the land. When rain falls on the land, some of it flows over the surface of the land, which we call runoff. Little streams may flow into larger streams and rivers, or temporarily be stored in non-moving bodies of water like ponds and lakes. Any water on the earth’s surface, including streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and oceans, is called surface water. Ultimately, all surface water will do one of three things: evaporate again, flow all the way back to the ocean, or infiltrate…

Large storm clouds over mountains in Colorado. — Precipitation falls over the Rocky Mountains, beginning its long journey back to the oceans.

To infiltrate, in other words, means to seep into the ground. When water infiltrates, it fills the tiny gaps in the soils and rocks below our feet! This water is called groundwater! In the water cycle, water may infiltrate into the ground at any point between where it falls on the land as precipitation and when it flows back into the ocean. Like surface water, groundwater also moves or flows, but much more slowly than surface water. Some groundwater bubbles back out of the ground onto the surface in a spring or a gaining stream: a stream that is fed by groundwater rather than runoff. Plants will also take up groundwater through their roots and release it back into the air as water vapor through the tiny pores in their leaves, in a special type of evaporation called transpiration.

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The Water Cycle: a science unit + hands-on lab activities!

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So far, we’ve looked at water in liquid and vapor forms. But what about water in solid form such as ice and snow? It turns out ice and snow play an important part in the water cycle too. When snow falls on land, it can build up in one place, or accumulate. When temperatures increase, such as in springtime, the snow that built up through the winter will melt and flow into our surface and groundwater. In certain cold and snowy areas, such as in tall mountains or near the poles, snow accumulates faster than it melts. This forms glaciers and ice sheets: long-lasting bodies of ice, made from compacted snow. Most of the fresh water on our planet is currently stored as ice in glaciers, ice sheets, and snow! Scientists in the field of snow hydrology study these important stored waters!

Looking back down from Byron glacier in front of snow-capped mountains — Glaciers, such as this one near Anchorage, Alaska, are an important place where fresh water is stored in the water cycle

Saltwater, like ocean water, is toxic to humans and land plants and animals. All the water we drink, bathe in, clean with, and use to grow plants must be freshwater. Freshwater is only a tiny fraction of the water on Earth: about 97.5% of Earth’s water is saltwater. That means only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater. Of that 2.5% freshwater, most is not usable by humans. Over two-thirds of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen in glaciers, ice caps, and snow, and a little less than a third is groundwater. Surface water like rivers, lakes, and ponds is just a fraction of a percentage of Earth’s total freshwater – and just a tiny part of a fraction of a percentage of Earth’s total water overall! If you’re having trouble visualizing this, check out the free at-home activity guide to help you and your child or students visualize the percentages of freshwater from home in the kitchen or bathtub!

Continue to Part 2 of this post about the water cycle – covering the ways humans interact with the water cycle!
Skip to Part 3 about the water cycle – covering the role of mountain watersheds!
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Free Project: Water on Earth’s Surface

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References and Further Reading

Plummer, C. C., Carlson, D. H., & Hammersley L. (2019) Physical Geology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (16th ed., pp. 232 – 320).
U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). How Much Water is there on Earth? Available: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

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